Post by JoshiQ on Aug 9, 2011 20:29:45 GMT -5

Backstory:

Days after Harley Race left Global Championship Wrestling for a second time, Marvin Niemiller met up with Race to discuss the proper way to end the contract. Things became heated, and Niemiller ended up being punched in the jaw by the former GCW World Champion. Niemiller was furious after the altercation and demanded that anyone that did not want to work for him could leave the company. Several main event caliber stars took him up on his offer as Billy Graham, Jack Brisco, Jerry Brisco, and Chief Jay Strongbow exited GCW. This was just another example where a group of wrestlers left the company to seek better fortune somewhere else.

Most of the time these wrestlers left GCW to tour Japan or join some other wrestling organization around the country. Phillip Jackson, a sports enthusiast from St. Louis, Missouri, saw an opportunity, however, with the most recent uprising. The central states had always been a hot spot for wrestling, but they did not have a specific organization to call their own. Jackson was able to get the papers drawn up, and thus started the National Wrestling Federation. Jackson wanted to fulfill a dream of owning a wrestling company based out of St. Louis, but he would not be happy unless it was a nationwide product.

There was only one man that could help make Phillip Jackson’s NWF a household name. Jackson’s first phone call was to Harley Race. Race was busy touring Japan, but once he heard about the possibility of opening up a wrestling organization in his home state, he quickly agreed to join Jackson’s NWF. Within the weeks that followed, multiple other wrestlers, including the Brisco Brothers, Chief Jay Strongbow and other GCW alumni, joined up with Jackson to form quite the roster to start the NWF.

Jackson decided there was no better time to enter the market than on the 7th of July, 1979. It is a very competitive market, but with the people that have joined the NWF’s roster, the National Wrestling Federation is up to the challenge.

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 10, 2011 0:58:46 GMT -5

NWF: 7/7/79 – St. Louis, MO – Checkerdome

The National Wrestling Federation opened its doors tonight in the most explosive way possible. The NWF promised to crown its very first World Champion in a one night tournament with all of the big names being involved. The arena was packed to see just who would walk out of the show as the new World Champion.

Harley Race had to be surprised when he walked down the aisle and was cheered on from the jam packed crowd. It’s not very often in Race’s career that he has been cheered, but tonight, in his home state, the crowd let him know how much they wanted to see him in action. Raymond Rougeau, a youngster from Canada, tried his best to hold his own, but Race was far too focused to let himself be upset by Rougeau. The Piledriver, a move that has put away much bigger men, was more than enough to get the three count and secure Race a spot in the semi-finals.

[Quarterfinals]:Jerry Lawler pinned Greg Valentine after a small package in 0:11:32.Rating: ** ¼

Jerry “The King” Lawler, another well-known name, might have taken Greg Valentine a little too lightly. Lawler seemed a little distracted as he appreciated the cheers from the fans. This allowed Valentine to ambush him from behind. Valentine showed a knack for working over Lawler’s knee for the duration of the match, apparently trying to get him ready for the Figure-Four Leglock. Lawler realized he was in for a fight a little late into the match, but when he started brawling back at Valentine, the crowd got behind him. Still, Valentine had worked over the leg long enough that a chop block brought the match right back into his favor. Valentine was going to finish him off with the Figure-Four, but Lawler, somehow, reached up and brought Valentine down in a small package. Valentine tried his best to kickout, but Lawler had a firm grip to get the pinfall. After the match, Valentine was furious. Lawler tried to get to his feet to get his hand raised, but Valentine kicked the leg out from underneath him. Lawler screamed out in pain, holding his leg, while Valentine stormed to the back.

Crusher Blackwell, a huge man, was accompanied to the ring by cigar smoking Skandor Akbar. The crowd immediately grew distaste for him as he argued with several fans at ringside. Tommy Rich is a up and coming star that has big things ahead of him. Unfortunately for him, one of those things big things in front of him was Crusher Blackwell. Blackwell held out through several flurries of offense by Rich until he was able to slam him to the mat and come off the ropes with the Big Splash. Tommy Rich is going to need to be scraped off the mat after that maneuver. Akbar seemed pleased with his man, patting him on the back. Whoever gets him in the semi-finals is going to be in for some trouble.

Before our next match, Thunderbolt Patterson came out to a big ovation from the crowd. Patterson said he did not know who his opponent was going to be, but he had heard that the NWF had promised it would be somebody that would give him a challenge. He said he would have no other way as he wanted to beat the best the wrestling world had to offer to become the very first NWF World Champion. He got his wish when “Superstar” Billy Graham walked down the aisle! The crowd exploded since they had no idea that he was going to be here tonight. He immediately becomes one of the favorites to win the whole thing, but first, he had to get through Thunderbolt Patterson.

[Quarterfinals]:Thunderbolt Patterson pinned Billy Graham with the Thunderbolt Right in 0:18:01.Rating: *** ¼

Both men circled each other in the ring, but before the bell rang, they shook hands. It appeared that both men were planning on competing in a friendly affair to see who the better man is. To give them credit, the match did start out cleanly, but when you have two powerhouses like Graham and Patterson in the ring, things are bound to explode at some point. Both men took turns hammering away at one another, and neither man was going to go down. Graham realized that matching strength with Thunderbolt may not be the best option, and he quickly switched to trying to work over Patterson’s back in preparation for the Bearhug. Thunderbolt absorbed all of that, but he still kept fighting back with his brawling offense. The longer the match wore on the more of an advantage it was to “Superstar” Graham, and after the fifteen minute mark, it looked like Graham was going to be able to outlast Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt made the mistake of going for a clothesline which Graham was able to duck under, and when Thunderbolt rebounded off the ropes, he was caught in the Bearhug. Graham had it cinched on tight, and it looked like it would be the end of the road for Patterson. Especially after all of the punishment that Graham had delivered to Patterson’s back throughout the match. Somehow, though, Thunderbolt was able to reach down and nail Billy with the Thunderbolt Right! Graham was stunned, but not quite out of it, so Thunderbolt nailed him another! Graham fell face first to the mat, but that was no problem for Patterson who rolled him over and got the victory out of nowhere! It took a few seconds for Graham to realize what had happened, but by that point, Thunderbolt Patterson had already made his way to the back. This was definitely not the way “Superstar” Billy Graham expected to start his career in the NWF.

Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka defeated The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) when Tanaka made Brunzell submit to the Japanese Sleeper in 0:11:49.Rating: ** ½

Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka were accompanied to the ring by Skandor Akbar. It appears that Akbar has assembled quite the group with Fuji, Tanaka, and Crusher Blackwell all being apart. He calls them Devastation, Inc., and that’s exactly what they are to their opponents. He led them to victory over The High Flyers, a team that could hold their own with Fuji and Tanaka, but they couldn’t handle the constant interference of Akbar. Whenever the tag team titles are decided, Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka have to be heavy favorites to become champions.

Percy Pringle came out to introduce the man he said will take him straight to the top of the NWF. Baron Von Raschke stalked down the aisle to face his opponent, the unlucky Jerry Estrada. Estrada should have just left the ring before the match; he would have had a far better night. Raschke nearly destroyed Estrada before applying the Claw. Nobody can use the Claw quite like Raschke, and it was proven here tonight when Estrada was only in the hold for a few seconds before submitting.

The crowd was torn for the most part for this match. Both men could easily be considered the top star of the company, but only one would advance to the finals to crown a new champion. Neither man has been known to be the most ethical wrestler, but so far in the NWF they both seem to have had a change of heart as they have avoided all rule breaking. Lawler was still suffering from the damage to the knee he took in his quarterfinals match with Greg Valentine. Lawler fought as hard as he could, but Race saw the weakness and immediately focused in on it. Lawler was able to withstand the pain long enough to catch Race making a rare mistake. Race went for one of his patented diving headbutts off of the top rope, but Lawler was able to move out of the way. Lawler signaled that he wanted to end it there, but Greg Valentine came down the aisle. Lawler had Race set up for the Piledriver but dropped him to yell at Valentine. Lawler motioned Valentine to leave the ringside area, but a distraction like that is all Race needs. Lawler turned around right into a kick to the midsection and Race’s own Piledriver followed. Nobody kicks out of Race’s Piledriver, and Lawler was no different. Valentine went to enter the ring to attack Lawler some more, but Race, surprisingly enough, put a stop to that pretty quick by standing over Lawler. Valentine decided to head to the back, but he had done what he had set out to accomplish, and that was eliminate Lawler from the tournament.

[Semi-Finals]:Thunderbolt Patterson pinned Crusher Blackwell with the Thunderbolt Right in 0:09:29.Rating: * ¼

Thunderbolt Patterson had a brutal affair with Billy Graham just an hour or so before this match, and it showed in how slow Patterson moved. Patterson will stand toe to toe with anyone, but his back appeared to have been pretty badly damaged throughout his match with “Superstar” Graham, and Crusher Blackwell took full notice. With Skandor Akbar at ringside cheering him on, Blackwell stalked Thunderbolt around the ring, using his weight to its full advantage to further weaken Thunderbolt’s back. Several splashes in the corner shook the ring, and it looked like the match should have been stopped, but Thunderbolt kept coming back somehow. In the end, Crusher Blackwell had Thunderbolt set up for the Big Splash, but Patterson was somehow able to move out of the way. When Blackwell got back to his feet, Thunderbolt nailed Crusher with a beautiful Thunderbolt Right right to the jaw. Blackwell went down hard, and Thunderbolt was lucky enough to collapse right on top of him and get the three count. Skandor Akbar couldn’t believe it on the outside, but Thunderbolt had escaped this match with a victory, and he will now go on to face Harley Race for the NWF World Title!

Before the next match, the crowd received another surprise by the Brisco Brothers coming down the aisle. Jack and Jerry Brisco took turns talking about how much they’ve accomplished in their past, but when they heard about the NWF starting up, they knew they had found a place to push them to their utmost limits. Jack Brisco talked about how much winning the World Tag Team Titles in the NWF would mean to them. Jerry Brisco said he knew the toughest competition was here in the NWF, and they would relish the opportunity to show they are the best tag team in the world today. They were soon cut off by Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis, the East-West Connection. Ventura said he was sick and tired of hearing the Brisco Brothers talk. He said they were the past and that the East-West Connection was the future. Adonis said Jack and Jerry were once the best tag team in the world, but that honor had faded a long time ago, and now, nobody wants to see them anymore. The Brisco Brothers could only take so much of this diatribe before they blasted both Ventura and Adonis right hands. The East-West Connection looked shocked, but the Brisco Brothers weren’t done as Jack pushed Ventura into the corner as did Jerry with Adonis. Both Brisco Brothers proceeded to nail both men with ten consecutive punches in the corner much to the crowd’s delight. At this point, a referee joined them in the ring and announced an impromptu match between the Brisco Brothers and the East-West Connection.

The Brisco Brothers dominated this match from the minute the bell rang. With quick tags and good teamwork, Jack and Jerry showed Ventura and Adonis what a well-oiled machine can do. Despite the claims from the East-West Connection that they had lost a step, the Brisco Brothers appeared to be in as good a shape as ever. Ventura saw the writing on the wall and decided to end things prematurely when he low blowed Jerry Brisco right in front of the referee. Jerry collapsed to the mat, and the referee had no choice but to call for the bell. Jack entered the ring to get at Ventura, but “The Body” joined Adonis in heading back up the aisle. The East-West Connection may have bitten off more than they could chew, but instead of taking their lumps like men, they would seem to have further angered the Brisco Brothers.

Before the finals to crown a new World Champion, there was a sense that something was wrong. Harley Race was announced first, but he did not show up. The ring announcer waited a little over a minute before deciding to bring out Thunderbolt Patterson first. Thunderbolt came out looking extremely tired, but he was still ready to fight for the most prestigious championship this sport has to offer. Harley Race was announced again, but he still did not show up. The crowd began to get a bit restless when “Superstar” Billy Graham walked down the aisle. Graham said that Race has a history of doing things like this, but he knew just how important the NWF World Title was. He said there was no way he would ever disrespect the National Wrestling Federation by just not showing up for a scheduled match. He asked Thunderbolt Patterson if it was okay if he took Race’s spot, so they could give the fans their money’s worth. Thunderbolt accepted the match, and we apparently had a replacement match for the NWF World Title!

[Finals]:Billy Graham made Thunderbolt Patterson submit to the Bearhug in 0:14:20.Rating: *** 1/4(Harley Race no-showed.)(Billy Graham won the NWF World Title.)

These two men had already fought for over eighteen minutes in the first round, yet somehow they were able to find it within themselves to continue the fight here. Billy Graham had really gained the fans’ respect throughout the evening, but something changed as the match wore on. Graham started to take more and more cheapshots to keep Patterson down. Patterson was still favoring his back, but now he had to deal with Billy Graham poking him in the eye and jabbing at his throat. Not only that, but during the match, Billy Graham loosed the top turnbuckle and exposed the steel that the cushion protects. Graham was unable to use this, however, as Patterson grew tired of Graham’s antics and started to fight back with ferociousness. A series of headbutts knocked Graham pretty loopy, but he was still able to somehow duck out of the way of the Thunderbolt Right. Patterson wanted to continue the punishment as he propped Graham up in the corner with the exposed turnbuckle. Thunderbolt went to charge into the corner, but Graham had enough sense to move out of the way. Patterson was able to turn himself so he didn’t hit his chest on the steel, but his back still took the bulk of the blow. Patterson staggered out of the corner and right into the Bearhug from Graham. Patterson held on as long as he could, but after three matches this evening, he could only take so much before submitting. “Superstar” Billy Graham has won the NWF World Title!

The crowd was in shock as it felt like everything was lined up for Thunderbolt Patterson to walk away tonight with the title, but it was not meant to be. Graham threw Patterson aside as he raised the title above his head, but the crowd had turned on Graham, and he did not receive the ovation he had expected. Graham didn’t seem to care as he got what he had came for. The celebration only lasted a few seconds before Harley Race burst down the aisle, bandage on his forehead, and blood in his hair. He looked like he was going to tear into someone, but Graham was quick to escape from the ring, evade Race, and head to the back. Harley Race looked like a man possessed as he threw chairs around ringside, obviously upset that he had lost his opportunity at the NWF World Title. The question remains as to why he didn’t show up for his scheduled match? Not only that, it looked like he had been attacked backstage but by who?

Post by gentlemanjeff on Aug 10, 2011 10:11:54 GMT -5

I always like old school circuits, but what about this from the GCW Universe site:

"This left some promotion owners unhappy, but served to make the NWA a more well known entity and brought more attention to the promotions affiliated with the Alliance. Muchnick had long run the St. Louis Wrestling Club and when he took control of the NWA, the former St. Louis Wrestling Club became the homebase of operations for the NWA, promoting cards as "NWA's All-Stars," which featured some of the NWA's prized talent from around the nation.

In 1960, after a dispute between Muchnick and NWA: Oklahoma's promoter Leroy McGuirk that saw them break ties with the NWA, Muchnick stepped down voluntarily as NWA President after rumblings that he should be replaced. Frank Tunney took Muchnick's place as acting President, though it was always rumored that Muchnick was still pulling the strings behind the scenes. In 1963 Sam Muchnick once again became the acting President of the NWA."

Post by snabbit888 on Aug 10, 2011 13:50:43 GMT -5

I always like old school circuits, but what about this from the GCW Universe site:

"This left some promotion owners unhappy, but served to make the NWA a more well known entity and brought more attention to the promotions affiliated with the Alliance. Muchnick had long run the St. Louis Wrestling Club and when he took control of the NWA, the former St. Louis Wrestling Club became the homebase of operations for the NWA, promoting cards as "NWA's All-Stars," which featured some of the NWA's prized talent from around the nation.

In 1960, after a dispute between Muchnick and NWA: Oklahoma's promoter Leroy McGuirk that saw them break ties with the NWA, Muchnick stepped down voluntarily as NWA President after rumblings that he should be replaced. Frank Tunney took Muchnick's place as acting President, though it was always rumored that Muchnick was still pulling the strings behind the scenes. In 1963 Sam Muchnick once again became the acting President of the NWA."

You can't whitewash the SLWC! People will riot!

Ha ha. I honestly completely forgot about that from the attempt mamushi and I made to expand the GCW Universe. Though I appreciate your being a stickler for detail, yeah... we're just going to ignore that. Besides, that page hasn't been updated in forever.

Post by snabbit888 on Aug 10, 2011 14:14:20 GMT -5

And so it begins...

Tournament to crown a first champion is always a good way to start. Race in the first match and seems like a favorite to win already. Rougeau just wasn't going to match up to Race.

And damn you. I've been trying to hire Valentine for a year. Good match here. When I had Lawler, he was young and coming into his own. In 1979, he should be a legit threat and with the win, looks like he is.

Crusher Blackwell gets a nice win. Will be interested to see how Tommy Rich develops. Future World champion like in real life or will he fizzle out? You know, like the majority of his career.

Billy Graham! Two former GCW World champions in the tournament. Shocked to see Thunderbolt catch him here. Sincerely didn't see that coming.

Fuji & Tanaka are another solid team. Kind of shocked to see them more or less squash the High Flyers. And with the Briscos and East-West having a good match later, your tag division seems strong right off. Honestly, I'd say your tag division looks more solid than mine at this point.

Valentine not happy to have lost to Lawler, and costs him the semi-final match. Should be a nice feud, and Race in the finals!

Thunderbolt reaches the finals. I would have never predicted he would make it this far.

Great main event angle, and Billy Graham sneaks his way into the World Title. If you're going to make him champion, now's the time to do it as his years of effectiveness are few at this point. For some reason I don't think he's the one who attacked Race though. Someone in cahoots with him... no idea who, though. Hrm...

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 10, 2011 15:24:58 GMT -5

I always like old school circuits, but what about this from the GCW Universe site:

"This left some promotion owners unhappy, but served to make the NWA a more well known entity and brought more attention to the promotions affiliated with the Alliance. Muchnick had long run the St. Louis Wrestling Club and when he took control of the NWA, the former St. Louis Wrestling Club became the homebase of operations for the NWA, promoting cards as "NWA's All-Stars," which featured some of the NWA's prized talent from around the nation.

In 1960, after a dispute between Muchnick and NWA: Oklahoma's promoter Leroy McGuirk that saw them break ties with the NWA, Muchnick stepped down voluntarily as NWA President after rumblings that he should be replaced. Frank Tunney took Muchnick's place as acting President, though it was always rumored that Muchnick was still pulling the strings behind the scenes. In 1963 Sam Muchnick once again became the acting President of the NWA."

You can't whitewash the SLWC! People will riot!

I'm going to assume during the fiasco that led to Muchnick step down, the NWA moved it's offices to the west coast, and SLWC closed down. Yeah, that's it.

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 10, 2011 15:30:56 GMT -5

Ryan:

I was extremely happy that I was able to sign Valentine. He fits in well as a guy that can grow into a main eventer or be a constant threat to the guys not involved in the World Title scene.

Tommy Rich will be an interesting guy to write. I don't believe I've ever used him in a circuit before. It will probably depend on how much I enjoy writing him as to if he will be a star or not. He was pretty big in the late '70s-early '80s though. It wasn't until after he won the NWA Title that his career fell into a canyon.

I have already grown a weak spot for Thunderbolt. He is just a great, fiery face.

I'm excited about the tag division. I know Tanaka and Fuji and the Brisco Brothers are a little bit older at this point, but both teams still had a few good runs left in them.

I was extremely annoyed with Harley Race's no-show, but I feel it might have worked out for the best. It helped build some angles that I otherwise would not have had. Writing Race as a face seems weird, but I think it fits in perfectly for where the federation started and how fans would react to him being in an upstart circuit.

Post by murphy42782 on Aug 10, 2011 17:59:12 GMT -5

This excites me. The whole circuit and universe excites me.

Face Race is gunna be good. Billy graham is solid as first champ. Im kinda hoping east west connection was behind races mugging. Them as superstars lackeys or just a way to get jesse ventura on the map so to speak

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 12, 2011 0:08:30 GMT -5

Dick Murdoch is perhaps better known as a tag team wrestler, but he joined the NWF to showcase what he is capable of in singles wrestling. Tonight his debut, however, did not go as he had planned. At the beginning of the match, Murdoch seemed like he wanted to toy around with Tommy Rich, continually controlling the match by wrestling Rich to the mat and then slapping him upside the head. This happened several times before we saw why people have taken to calling Tommy Rich “Wildfire.” Rich tackled Murdoch to the mat and started to fire away. This really took Murdoch by surprise, and it took him awhile to regain his composure. Soon we had a brawl on our hands that went from the ring to outside the ring to back in. Murdoch was eventually able to nail Rich with the Gourdbuster and get the three count, but he knew he’d been in a fight after the bell rang. Murdoch was so upset that Rich spoiled his debut that after the match he tried to deliver another Gourdbuster to Tommy, but Rich pushed him off and leveled him with a dropkick to the jaw. Murdoch fell through the ropes and to the outside while Rich acted fired up in the ring. Murdoch looked like he was going to get back in the ring, but he thought better of it at the last moment. After tonight’s show, Murdoch said the next time he met Rich in the ring he was going to teach him a lesson about respect.

The Von Erich Brothers are a team that has accomplished quite a bit despite their young age. Kevin, the oldest at 22, and David, 21, decided it was time for bigger and better things after dominating the tag scene in Texas. They got one of the tougher tests there is when they were matched up against Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka, a team that has already accomplished nearly everything you can do in the sport of wrestling. The Von Erich Brothers showed that they were not going to be pushed around in this match right from the get go. Fuji and Tanaka were a taken aback by the fire in Kevin and David, but their experience helped negate the power and speed of the Von Erich boys. In the end, it looked like the Von Erichs might pull off the upset, but Skandor Akbar, just like last month against the High Flyers, was the deciding factor. David Von Erich had Mr. Fuji in the Iron Claw when Skandor Akbar got up on the ring apron. This distraction led to Kevin Von Erich entering the ring to try and get Akbar down. While referee Isaac Madilla tried to get Kevin back to the apron, Toru Tanaka entered the ring and clobbered David with a kick to the back of the head. David was stunned long enough for Fuji to get back to his feet and nail him with the Thrust Kick. Fuji covered David just as Madilla turned around, and he was able to get the three count. Kevin Von Erich was extremely upset as he entered the ring and cleared it of both Fuji and Tanaka, but the result was in, and Fuji, Tanaka, and Akbar had stolen another one. They definitely have some nice momentum going into Des Moines, Iowa on August the 29th where part of the first round of a tag team tournament will take place to crown new World Tag Team Champions.

Before our next match could begin, Greg Valentine let it be known that Jerry “The King” Lawler did not deserve the respect that the fans in St. Louis showed him last month. He said he had Lawler beat cleanly in the middle of the ring, and Lawler had to cheat to get past him. Valentine said that he should have been the first ever NWF World Champion, but Lawler stole that honor away from him. Valentine challenged Lawler to meet him in the ring in Chicago on the 29th to settle things like men.

Greg Valentine had his hands full with the much stronger Tony Atlas. Valentine tried to wrestle him to the mat, but Atlas’ overwhelming strength allowed him to escape most of Valentine’s holds. Valentine can take some punishment, and he had to endure quite a bit of it early on in the match. Atlas showed off just how strong he is by continuing to bodyslam Valentine any chance he got. Valentine fought back by viciously going after the right knee of Atlas. Atlas tried to hold him off, but it’s hard to do with only one leg. Atlas looked like he was about to mount his comeback when he countered Valentine’s whip into the turnbuckles. Atlas charged in with what was going to be a knee to the midsection, but Valentine moved out of the way at the last moment. Atlas’ knee crashed hard into the buckles causing him to stagger back into a backslide by Valentine. Atlas tried to kick out, but he had lost almost all of the power from his legs at this point, giving Valentine the victory.

Skandor Akbar already has perhaps the best tag team in the NWF in Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka, but when you add Crusher Blackwell to the mix, Devastation Inc. might just be the most talented group in the wrestling world. Jerry Estrada tried to fight back as well as he could, but there is only so much you can do to a man that weighs nearly 500 pounds. Blackwell never even went to the mat during the match until he hit his Big Splash to get the three count.

After the match, Akbar took a break long enough from smoking his cigar to demand that Thunderbolt Patterson come out and apologize to Crusher Blackwell and himself for using an illegal maneuver to defeat Blackwell and cost him the NWF World Title. He said that the Thunderbolt Right was an illegal move, and it should be banned from any and all use in the wrestling ring. Thunderbolt Patterson made his way down to the ring, and he told Akbar that he would not apologize for being the better man in the NWF World Title tournament. He said he had bigger fish to fry as later tonight he was facing Billy Graham for the World Title, and he didn’t have time to deal with scum like him. Patterson went to leave the ring, but Blackwell nailed him in the lower back! Crusher pushed him into the turnbuckles before running in with an avalanche splash, thoroughly pancaking Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt staggered out of the corner and fell to the mat in perfect position for the Big Splash from Crusher Blackwell. Two more Big Splashes followed causing Thunderbolt to almost convulse in the center of the ring. Last month Thunderbolt really had his lower back worked over during his three matches, and this was not going to help any. Blackwell and Skandor Akbar finally left the ring, but there was now a huge question mark as to what would happen later on in the main event.

Percy Pringle knew what he was doing when he signed Baron Von Raschke to be under his control. Raymond Rougeau tried to his high flying to avoid Raschke’s grasp, but that could only work for so long. Once Raschke got his hands on Raymond, it was only a matter of time before he was able to apply the Claw and get the victory. If Raschke can keep this up, it’s going to be hard to find him an opponent that is willing to get into the ring with him.

Chief Jay Strongbow made Ron Bass submit to the Indian Deathlock in 0:10:57.Rating: * ¾

It was announced prior to this bout that the winner of this contest would go on to face “Superstar” Billy Graham for the NWF World Title due to Thunderbolt Patterson being unable to compete. Chief Jay Strongbow got quite the reaction for his debut in the National Wrestling Federation. Many people already know who he is, and the crowd showed him the respect that he deserves. “Outlaw” Ron Bass, on the other hand, did not. Upon entering the ring, Strongbow went to shake Bass’ hand, but Bass responded with a kick to the gut. Bass immediately took over control of the match by pounding Strongbow into the mat. Bass had one thing in mind, and that was getting past Strongbow to face the World Champion. It looked like Bass would be able to pull out the upset until he made a series of mistakes that led up to Strongbow being able to apply the Indian Deathlock. Bass held on for as long as he could, but as he was getting close to the ropes, Strongbow pulled him back into the center of the ring. There was no way for Bass to escape, and he was forced to submit. Strongbow is going on to face the World Champion later on tonight!

And the night just got more bizarre from there. Harley Race stepped out to the ring to try and explain what happened last month in the finals of the NWF World Title tournament. Race claimed that he was ambushed in the back by three men. He said Billy Graham had been playing up being a nice guy all evening when his master plan was always to make sure that Race didn’t make it to his match in the finals. Not only that, but he said the East-West Connection was involved as well. At this point, Billy Graham came down to the ring to dispute things with Race. Graham said it was not his fault if Race slipped and fell in the back, and everybody knows that when Race doesn’t want to wrestle, he’ll find a way to get out of it. Race said he was a fool if he thought that he’d miss the opportunity of a lifetime to become the first NWF World Champion. As the two men continued to argue, Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis snuck down to ringside and ambushed Race from behind! Race tried to fight back, but with three men taking their shots, there was little he could do. Eventually, the Brisco Brothers ran down the aisle and cleared it of the World Champion and the East-West Connection, but the damage had already been done. For a second straight show Race was bloodied and hurt. Race was helped to the back while the Brisco Brothers prepared for their match with the East-West Connection.

The only problem ended up being that Adrian Adonis claimed that he was suffering from back pains due to the Brisco Brothers’ attack before the match. It looked like he was trying to get himself and Ventura out of the match, but referee Isaac Madilla made an executive decision. He told the ring announcer that since Adonis could not participate, Billy Graham would be forced to take his place. Graham threw a fit at ringside, but the decision had been made. The Brisco Brothers seemed pretty thrilled as they were able to get their hands on the World Champion.

The match only lasted a few minutes before Adrian Adonis stopped his acting and attacked Jerry Brisco as he was working over Ventura’s arm. Jack Brisco tried to intervene, but Graham was there to cut him off. The combination of the World Champion and the East-West Connection took turns taking shots at the Brisco Brothers for several minutes until things were broken up. Graham, Ventura, and Adonis have taken over the National Wrestling Federation, and it would appear that there is nothing that can be done to stop them.

Before the next match could begin, Jerry Lawler challenged Greg Valentine to come down to the ring if he wanted to handle things like men. Valentine was nowhere to be seen which sent Lawler into a rant about how chicken Valentine was. Lawler had to get his mind back on his match as Ole Anderson came down the aisle.

Jerry Lawler looked like he was taking out his frustration towards Greg Valentine on Ole Anderson. From the minute the bell rang Lawler was all over Ole. Ole doesn’t back down from anyone, however, and we ended up having quite the brawl on our hands. Anderson is another guy that has focused most of his career towards tag team wrestling, but he has decided to try and make a go at it as a singles wrestler. Lawler was on fire tonight, however, and looked like he was going to pick up the victory when Greg Valentine ran down the aisle. Lawler saw him coming, though, and as Valentine jumped on the ring apron, Lawler cocked his fist and nailed him with a solid left hook. Valentine fell back off the apron and into the guardrail. Ole Anderson tried to capitalize by hammering Lawler in the back, but when he went to whip him into the ropes he telegraphed a back bodydrop. Lawler caught him with the Piledriver, and that was all she wrote for Ole Anderson. Valentine got out of there before Lawler could get his hands on him, but it has been made official. These two men will meet in Des Moines, Iowa on August the 29th.

Billy Graham had little time to prepare himself for this match since he had been scheduled to face Thunderbolt Patterson. And while he had already wrestled once this evening, it was hardly comparable to Chief Jay Strongbow who had gone through eleven hard fought minutes with Ron Bass. Strongbow was able to hang on a lot longer than most people thought, but the longer the match wore on, the more it favored “Superstar” Billy Graham. Strongbow avoided the Bearhug as long as he could, but Graham was eventually able to hook it on and get the submission victory. Graham had his hand raised as he retained his title. It was just not a victory over Strongbow, however, that he should be celebrating. Patterson was demolished by Crusher Blackwell, Harley Race was beat down by himself and the East-West Connection, and the Brisco Brothers were also taken care of. It’s impossible to have a better night than what Billy Graham had tonight.

Post by snabbit888 on Aug 12, 2011 1:07:21 GMT -5

Good match and post-match angle to kick off the show. I'm already liking Rich, and Murdoch is a fun writeup too. I liked using him in GCW, but had to fire him because he no-showed me a lot.

Great tag match as well. Looks like Fuji & Tanaka are your front runners to be the tag team champs. I think you'll get some good mileage out of the Von Erichs still.

Valentine makes the challenge to Lawler, which is a match I'm looking forward to seeing. You made Valentine look strong here by getting a clean win, but not in a fashion that made Atlas look bad.

You just can't keep guys from no-showing, can you? Two more tonight. I liked the angle you did with Thunderbolt more than Adrian though. But given the circumstances, not a ton else you could do. Strange seeing you use Thunderbolt as pretty much your 1a face right now, but it's working.

Strongbow was a good replacement for Thunderbolt in the main event. He's enough of an established talent that no one would question his place as a challenger, and his losing doesn't really affect him. Good work on that.

Tag match was a bit of a throw away given the circumstances of the no-show, but the one thing I did like is it establishes the Graham/Ventura/Adonis group as powerful. Two pretty dominant heel stables right now. Briscos & Race teaming up is odd to see too. It works - but Race & Jack Brisco have had their run-ins in the past.

Solid main event. Was what you'd except.

Next card is looking great. You've done a great job of setting up some good logical feuds from the get-go. I better get to work.

Post by rey619 on Aug 12, 2011 2:54:28 GMT -5

I haven't been able to read any of the cards yet, but what will happen if Ryan wants to use one of your wrestlers in GCW? Are there talent limitations in place, or is GCW able to pick up anyone they want?

Post by rey619 on Aug 12, 2011 5:37:39 GMT -5

Good lord, what's your no-show rate at? I usually disregard no-shows, especially when they've wrestled earlier in the night, but you have come up with plausible reasons for each and one of them, reasons that actually leads to much more interesting storylines. I was kinda expecting Race to become the first champ, but I much more prefer a heel Graham with his cronies. In a way, Graham is in NWF as Race was in GCW, having two younger guys watch his back.

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 12, 2011 8:44:08 GMT -5

I have to keep up with you. I don't want people on the board hating me since you can't post a card since I am behind.

I'm enjoying Rich as well. I like the "Wildfire" gimmick. Not sure how far he'll climb up the ladder, but he'll probably have some success.

I agree that the Thunderbolt angle was stronger. I was going to pair the East-West Connection with Graham, but they kind of forced my hand to show it early. I also didn't have anyone else to team with Ventura after Adonis no-showed. Everybody else was taken and writing why Ventura was teaming with Murdoch or someone would be confusing.

I have some big name talent, but I don't want to give Graham/Race or Graham/Lawler away due to a no-show. Strongbow was the best option.

Race/Briscos won't be a stable. More of a enemy of my enemy is my friend - that I'll probably end up smashing over the head with a chair.

Yeah, I think you're next card is set for August 6th, and then we have the dual cards on August 29th.

Really looking forward to the first time somebody quits one of our feds. I'm just hoping it's Dusty Rhodes.

Rey:

I'll let Ryan go into more detail if he wants to, but basically, Ryan wanted a WCW to his WWF. I offered to be a feeder league to his, so he could take anyone he wanted at any time, but he preferred actual talent limitations. Plus, there's a ton of wrestlers debuting around this time that may not have gotten air time.

We have a gentleman's agreement (hehe) as to wrestlers. There shouldn't be any conflict. But yeah, Ryan can only use guys from the NWF after they've quit or were not resigned. Same for me with GCW.

My no-show rate is set at the standard rate that comes with TNM. It's what I use for WWF '92, and I hardly ever have no-shows. I don't know what the heck is going on except for the fact that Harley Race is a dick no matter what circuit he's in. As for Thunderbolt and Adonis, that was just bad, bad luck. It probably has helped out a few angles actually, but it better come to an end soon. I can only write angles from the seat of my pants too often before it drives me nuts.

Post by snabbit888 on Aug 12, 2011 10:34:04 GMT -5

Coop summed it up perfectly. Competition is good, and I really love the world I've created with GCW. This will only make it better. It gets more of the wrestlers we all know a chance to establish characters, and some new unexpected stars should come from this.

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 13, 2011 8:57:37 GMT -5

Raymond Rougeau has shown a lot of heart so far in the NWF, but it hasn’t equaled much success. Tonight the youngster wanted to get things on track and that he did by besting Jerry Estrada. Despite both men being within a few years of another, Raymond has a little bit more experience and that helped him pick up the victory. The Rougeau Bomb, a spinning leg lariat off the top rope, is something that will go down in the history books as one of the most death defying moves in the sport. This was a big win for Raymond, and with the Rougeau Bomb, he’s liable to be in the winner’s circle again.

Tommy Rich and Dick Murdoch had their troubles earlier on in the month when Murdoch tried to attack “Wildfire” after their match. This time they would be in tag team action with the possibility of winning the World Tag Team Titles on the line. This was the first of three rounds and everybody was taking it very seriously. Tommy Rich and Tony Atlas are an unlikely pairing, but they have a surprisingly strong bond, and their combination of skills could be very hard to beat. Dick Murdoch and Ron Bass are a couple of cowboys that you don’t want to mess with, and so tonight’s match was bound to turn ugly. Murdoch tried to do the same thing he did to Rich in their singles match by controlling him on the mat and then sucker punching him. Atlas saw this a couple of times before he entered the ring and cold cocked Murdoch. Rich doesn’t need anyone to fight his battles for him, but it has to be nice to have one of the strongest men in the sport, Tony Atlas, on his side. Things went back and forth, as they tend to do when two teams are not quite comfortable with each other just yet, but it would be Rich and Atlas pulling off what a lot of people would call an upset. Murdoch and Bass were double teaming Rich in the center of the ring again, and Atlas had seen enough. He charged in and leveled both men with clotheslines. Atlas took care of Bass while Murdoch seemed stunned. While Murdoch staggered to his feet, Rich came flying at him with a hard lariat. Rich hooked the legs and got the three count while Atlas pounded away at Bass in the corner. Murdoch and Bass were furious after the bell, complaining about Atlas entering the ring illegally, obviously forgetting that they were double teaming Rich. Rich and Atlas move on to the second round, but Murdoch made it clear that this was not over.

Baron Von Raschke may be under contract to Percy Pringle, but that doesn’t mean that Pringle has him under control. Chief Jay Strongbow can testify to that as Raschke went a little overboard during their match. Strongbow put up a good fight, trying to work over Raschke’s leg. Raschke was able to fight back with his own offense, and soon Raschke was able to lock Strongbow into his Claw hold that has put away many of opponents. Strongbow is one of the tougher men in the NWF, however, and he was somehow able to inch his way to the ropes. Raschke refused to release the hold even with the referee counting to five, but Raschke did not appear like he cared. The ref called for the bell, signaling a disqualification of Baron Von Raschke, but Raschke refused to release his grip. Pringle entered the ring, but he wasn’t much help as he demanded that Raschke dig the Claw in even deeper. Blood started to flow from Strongbow’s forehead before Raschke finally released the hold. Baron Von Raschke and Percy were fined for their actions tonight, but they apparently think it was money well spent to scare the rest of the roster.

The High Flyers had a lot of problems with Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka back in July due to Skandor Akbar’s interference. This time they were ready for him and did not let that become a deciding factor in the match. Fuji and Tanaka have been on a roll so far in the NWF, but tonight it looked like it had gone to their head. They appeared to have underestimated the High Flyers which led to Tanaka being hooked in the Gagne Sleeper. Greg Gagne had it on tight, and the Gagne Sleeper can put you out within seconds. Tanaka didn’t even have a chance to get into the ring before the referee was calling for the bell. The High Flyers advance to the semi-finals, and Skandor Akbar was left in shock at ringside.

Crusher Blackwell pinned Kevin Von Erich with the Big Splash in 0:09:20.Rating: *** 3/4Kevin Von Erich suffered a back injury. He will be out for approximately 6 cards.

Skandor Akbar was not in a good mood after his team of Fuji and Tanaka lost their match against the High Flyers. He took that attitude to the ring with Crusher Blackwell. Akbar yelled at Blackwell throughout the match to punish Kevin Von Erich. Kevin has proven that he can hold his own in battles with big men, but Crusher Blackwell was just too focused tonight. The major turning point had to be when Kevin Von Erich made the bad decision of trying to bodyslam the near 500 pound Crusher Blackwell. Kevin appeared to have hurt his back at that point leading up to the Big Splash ending the match just short of ten minutes. After the match, it was revealed that Kevin Von Erich was injured during the bout, and he would be on the sidelines for around four to six months. David Von Erich is now in a bind as on September 15th in Joplin, Missouri he was scheduled to enter the tag team tournament to crown the new Tag Team Champions. David Von Erich said that he will have a partner and to not count him out.

Greg Valentine and Jerry Lawler have been at it with one another since Lawler pinned Valentine in the first round to advance in the World Title tournament back on July 7th. Everybody thought that Lawler would have an easy time with Valentine once he got him in the ring, but there is nothing easy about facing Greg Valentine. Valentine and Lawler brawled throughout the match, but neither man would stay down for long. It looked like Lawler was working towards the victory when Valentine pulled out the equalizer, a pair of brass knuckles. Referee Isaac Madilla never saw him sneak them onto his hand, and so he did nothing when Valentine nailed Lawler across the jaw. Lawler was out like a light, but Valentine wasn’t done as he climbed to the middle turnbuckle and flew off with a knee across Lawler’s forehead. That’s a move that could put somebody on the shelf for a long time, but this time it just gave Valentine the victory. The crowd was in shock that Valentine was able to steal the victory, but Lawler said after the match that he should have been more aware that Valentine would do anything to win. Lawler said he would be in Joplin to get his revenge.

Thunderbolt Patterson pinned Ole Anderson with the Thunderbolt Right in 0:08:14.Rating: * ½

Thunderbolt Patterson has had his problems of late with Crusher Blackwell and Skandor Akbar. Tonight he was able to put all that to the side and just focus on his match with Ole Anderson. At least that’s what he wanted to happen, but after Thunderbolt was able to fight his way through the match and nail Ole Anderson with the Thunderbolt Right, out came Skandor Akbar. Thunderbolt was able to secure the three count, but at that second Akbar entered the ring and demanded the referee overturn the decision. He claimed the Thunderbolt Right is an illegal move and should be banned from use inside the ring. The referee and Akbar argued over this while Thunderbolt watched on. Patterson eventually had enough as he walked up behind Akbar and turned him around. Patterson wound up like he was going to nail Akbar with the Thunderbolt Right, but he was simply playing as Skandor Akbar fell on his backside to try and avoid the shot. Thunderbolt got a big laugh out of it, but he wasn’t laughing for long as Crusher Blackwell came down and entered the ring. Blackwell and Patterson exchanged fisticuffs with neither man getting the advantage. Eventually Akbar was able to get Crusher to leave the ring, but these two men are going to have to meet up at some point to settle their feud once and for all.

The Brisco Brothers and Harley Race are not friends, let’s get that out of the way right now. But tonight they were put together due to a mutual hatred for Billy Graham and the East-West Connection. Race practically had the NWF World Title stolen from right under his nose due to their actions, and the Brisco Brothers were brutalized by Graham, Ventura, and Adonis earlier this month. Jack and Jerry Brisco seemed a little wary of Race, not fully trusting him, but once the bell rang, they actually worked surprisingly well. Graham spent most of the match avoiding getting in the ring, letting Adonis and Ventura do most of the work. He especially did not want to get in the ring whenever Race was tagged in. The few times they did meet in the ring, Race was all over Graham. In the end, the Brisco Brothers had neutralized Adonis while Race nailed Ventura with the Piledriver. Race got back to his feet and motioned that he wanted Graham to enter the ring, but Graham decided to leave the ring apron and walk back up the aisle with his World Title. Race nailed Ventura with another Piledriver while Graham yelled insults at him. Race pinned Ventura while Jack and Jerry continued to keep Adonis at bay.

After the show, it was announced that due to Race’s pinfall victory in the six man tag, he’d be granted a World Title shot against Billy Graham on September 15th in Joplin, MO. Graham was furious at the decision, but there is nothing that can be done. Graham was overheard saying that he would make sure that he would never fight Race again after their match in Joplin.

And Blackwell gets involved some more in the Thunderbolt match. You're establishing him as a threat, and I like the angle to get the Thunderbolt Right banned. Classic heel stuff.

Valentine beats Lawler. Not cleanly, sure, but that's a big deal. He's getting over as a nice midcard heel. I like this pairing a lot.

Great main event. Had great action, and Billy Graham is such a pussy. You know, but in a good way. Race gets his title shot. Not sure how Graham plans on making this Race's only title shot, but I see Graham retaining regardless.

Good stuff. Going to be a bit on my next card. Haven't started it, and I have a show tonight. Hopefully have it done no later than Monday.

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 13, 2011 16:54:47 GMT -5

Fuji and Tanaka was a last minute decision, but I think it will work out well.

Raschke and Blackwell should team up and be The Beasts. Looking back at Raschke in GCW, I am surprised that he was ever a face. But it was never forced, and it felt natural for him to be a face at that time. Right now, however, I don't think I could see Raschke ever turning.

It's fun doing some of the old school angles. The Thunderbolt Right might be favorite thing to write right now.

Wait, you're saying that a show tonight that could lead to making money and a career is more important than posting on a fantasy wrestling board for people you have never met? Psssh. Somebody needs to get their priorities straight.

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 15, 2011 14:24:31 GMT -5

Kerry was around, but when Kevin returns, I don't know if I really want three Von Erichs to deal with.

His no-show in the tournament finals totally changed my booking around from what I had planned. I'm actually kind of glad it happened now since it does feel like it gives Race something interesting to do.

I'm looking forward to the first jump as well. Unfortunately, the few wrestlers that have left GCW don't really fit into my booking plans right now. And fortunately for me, none of my wrestlers have quit so far.

Post by JoshiQ on Aug 16, 2011 23:24:32 GMT -5

Results of NWF - Joplin, MO - 9/15/79:

Chief Jay Strongbow made Jerry Estrada submit to the Indian Deathlock in 0:10:47.Rating: ** ½

Chief Jay Strongbow was brutally attacked last month by Baron Von Raschke. It was a slight surprise that he was able to return to action so quickly, but Strongbow needed to let out some aggression, and that’s exactly what he did in his match with Jerry Estrada. Strongbow never really let Estrada get anything going as he used numerous Tomahawk Chops to keep Estrada reeling. Once he applied the Indian Deathlock, there was no doubt as to the ending of the match. We haven’t seen Strongbow come that hard out of the gates in a while. It looks like Raschke might have awakened a sleeping giant.

Kevin Von Erich went down to injury last month in his match with Crusher Blackwell. David Von Erich was without a partner entering into the Tag Team Titles tournament, but he told everyone to not count him out. We soon found out why when David brought out his tag team partner, “Cowboy” Bob Orton Jr. David said the Von Erichs and the Ortons have a friendship that goes back several generations, and Orton was more than willing to come into the NWF and take Kevin’s place until Kevin was able to return to the ring. Orton promised if they could win the tag titles, he would relinquish his title to Kevin once Kevin was fully healed, but he looked forward to showing the NWF just what a Von Erich and an Orton can do when paired together.

David Von Erich and Bob Orton Jr. surprised a lot of people with just how well they teamed together. Ole Anderson and Greg Valentine, on the other hand, seemed to not gel quite as well. It was surprising since they both like to use the same strategy to win their matches, viciously pounding on their opponents until they are unable to put up a defense. They both seemed reluctant to tag in the other, however, when they gained control of the match. It looked like that might be their undoing, but it actually was when Jerry “The King” Lawler walked down the aisle. Greg Valentine saw him from the ring apron, and immediately started to brawl with him. Ole Anderson finally decided it was time to make the tag, but his partner was no longer there. Ole realized he would need to do the work himself, but when he turned back around, Orton had made a hot tag to David Von Erich. Ole tried to charge at David, but David caught him in the Iron Claw! Ole tried to fight it, but he had no choice but to submit in the middle of the ring.

After the match was over, Jerry Lawler and Greg Valentine were separated, but Lawler took the ringside microphone to challenge Valentine to meet him in the ring on October 13th. He said if Valentine wanted to use some brass knuckles, it was fine, but he wanted the opportunity to show him how it was done in a no disqualification match! Greg Valentine accepted the match after the show, saying Lawler had made the biggest mistake of his life.

Last month we talked about how devastating the Rougeau Bomb can be for Raymond Rougeau’s opponents. What we didn’t discuss is what would happen if he missed the move. Raymond looked like he might be able to pull off an upset victory as he kept “Outlaw” Ron Bass off balance throughout the match. However, it was near the end when Raymond went for the Rougeau Bomb that the result was decided. Raymond sailed off the top rope, but Ron Bass still had enough in him to dive out of the way. Rougeau hit the mat hard, and Bass quickly followed it up with a legdrop to get the three count. Bass got in Rougeau’s face after the match and yelled that if he tried any more of that daredevil crap with him, he’d knock his teeth out.

Thunderbolt Patterson and Crusher Blackwell have been embroiled in a feud ever since the opening day of the NWF when Patterson connected with his Thunderbolt Right and collapsed on top of Blackwell for the three count. Ever since, Skandor Akbar, Blackwell’s manager, has been on a crusade to get the Thunderbolt Right banned from wrestling as he considers it an illegal move. Tonight, the two men would meet again, and it was just the intense brawl that everyone expected them to have. The action eventually spilled to the floor where both men continued to pound away at one another. Blackwell made the mistake of trying to charge Patterson, who was propped up against the ringpost. Thunderbolt moved out of the way at the last possible second, and Blackwell collided with the post head first. Blackwell staggered backwards and right into the Thunderbolt Right! Blackwell was out like a light, but Thunderbolt was unable to lift the hefty 470 pound man back into the ring. Akbar was beside himself at ringside as Thunderbolt eventually decided to just reenter the ring and win the match via countout. Akbar pleaded with the referee about the use of the Thunderbolt Right, but he was not hearing it as he lifted Patterson’s hand in victory. Akbar got in Thunderbolt’s face and called him a coward for using illegal tactics to win his matches. Blackwell was slowly getting back to his feet on the outside as Akbar challenged Thunderbolt to prove he didn’t need to cheat to win. It eventually led to a match being signed for October 13th where the Thunderbolt Right will be banned for one match only as Thunderbolt Patterson meets up with Crusher Blackwell again.

Baron Von Raschke has shown a bloodlust that has made many people scared to get in the ring with him. Jim Brunzell doesn’t back down from anyone, however, and he was more than willing to step into the ring with Raschke. It did end up being a bad decision on Brunzell’s part. Percy Pringle looked on with pride as Raschke tore into another opponent. The Claw finished Brunzell off, but it looked like Raschke was going to continue the attack after the match. Luckily for him, Chief Jay Strongbow was still in the arena, and he was not about to allow Raschke to do what he did to him last month. Strongbow stormed the ring and nailed Raschke with several Tomahawk Chops across the bridge of the nose. Raschke exited the ring quickly and joined up with Pringle on the outside. Pringle yelled at Strongbow for interfering, but Chief Jay Strongbow would have none of it as he motioned that he wanted Raschke to get back in the ring. Pringle, with whatever control he has over Baron Von Raschke, was able to talk Raschke into exiting ringside, but it’s clear that Strongbow wants his revenge.

Tony Atlas and Tommy Rich continue to be one of the more surprising alliances in the NWF, but they have somehow formed a bond. Rich accompanied his friend to the ring as he was set to do battle with “Dirty” Dick Murdoch. Murdoch and Rich have had their confrontations as of late, but it would be Atlas going one on one with Murdoch tonight. Murdoch seemed slightly distracted with Rich at ringside, as any time he was able to get the upper hand he would tell Rich to watch how a “real wrestler” does it. This cost him when he made an unusual choice of going up to the middle turnbuckle. He told Rich to “Watch this!” as he flew off – right into the waiting arms of Atlas. Atlas caught him in mid-air and drilled him into the mat with a big powerslam. The wind was knocked right out of Murdoch, and it was just enough to end the match. Rich and Atlas celebrated in the ring after the match, but you could tell that “Dirty” Dick was not going to let this go.

This has to be considered a major upset! The Brisco Brothers have done it all in the wrestling world, and they had to be considered heavy favorites going into this World Tag Team Titles tournament, but the East-West Connection have given them a hard time as of late about being past their prime. Adonis and Ventura seem to think that nobody wants to watch the Brisco Brothers anymore, but that hardly seemed the case tonight as they had a huge fan following. It really did look like the Briscos would be successful in moving on to the next round, but in the later stages of the match, Ventura was able to ram Jack Brisco’s head into the guardrail as they were brawling around on the outside. Jack was knocked out it would seem as he laid on the arena floor. Luckily, he was not the legal man at the time. Jerry Brisco then had the task of trying to deal with Adonis and Ventura on his own. He put up a valiant effort, but there is only so much you can do against two men with the skill set of the East-West Connection. Once Adonis had Jerry hooked in the Goodnight Irene, you could tell that Jerry’s time was numbered. Jerry fought to try and escape the hold, but he eventually succumbed to it, and the referee had no choice but to stop the match. The East-West Connection move on to the semi-finals to face the High Flyers, and the Brisco Brothers are forced to watch as new tag team champions will be crowned in Oklahoma City.

This was the match everyone was looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. Harley Race was finally given the opportunity that Billy Graham stole away from him back in July in the finals of the World Title tournament. Race’s whole purpose of coming to the NWF was to become the World Champion, but Graham snuck in and took it away from him. Race let out all of that anger on Graham in the early minutes, leaving Graham reeling. Throughout the rest of the match, Graham was backpedaling away from Race, just trying to survive. The match continued on with Graham continuing to take a beating, but somehow, he was able to escape the Piledriver attempts every time. Graham either realized that tonight was not going to be his night or had it planned all along, but he pulled referee Isaac Madilla into a Harley Race clothesline. While Race checked on the fallen referee, Graham went to the outside and grabbed the ringbell. Graham went to clobber Race with it, but Race heard him coming and was able to block the blow. Race tore the ringbell out of Graham’s hands and nailed “Superstar” Billy Graham right between the eyes with it. It let out a loud “DING!” as Graham collapsed to the mat. Race went to pull Graham up for what looked like another attempt at the Piledriver when Isaac Madilla slowly got to his feet and stopped Race. He walked over to say something to the ring announcer, who then announced that Race had been disqualified, and Billy Graham was the winner and still champion! Race about came unglued as he grabbed Madilla by his shirt and started to shake him, demanding him to restart the match. During all of this, the East-West Connection ran down, pulled Graham from the ring, and helped carry their fallen leader and the NWF World Title to the back.

Harley Race was furious backstage, but “Superstar” Billy Graham said there was no way he would get back in the ring with such a blatant cheater. Unfortunately for him, he does not have the luxury of deciding who he faces in the ring, and next month he will be facing Race in a tag team match. Race swears that Graham is going to feel his wrath soon, and it might just be in Oklahoma City.